The invention relates to a plug-in bale mover which mounts on the front loader of a farm tractor or in the alternative on the rear lift arms of such a tractor. With the wide variety of loader bucket designs and sizes, it is necessary to provide the bale mover which will readily fit the various sizes of loader buckets. The bale mover which requires a hitch bracket which has been made for a specific width bucket is undesirable since it is not universal. Farm equipment dealers are reluctant to stock specific models of bale loaders, but will stock a single loader which is adapted to fit a wide range of buckets. With the increasing popularity of large cylindrical hay bales, a great many tine-type bale movers have been developed and are known in the prior art. All of these movers require some specific hitch assembly which attaches to the loader bucket of a front loader. In most instance, the hitch is made for a specific shape and size bucket. Until the present time, a hitch which was universally adaptable to all sizes and shapes of loader buckets has not been known. It is essential that the mounting of a hitch onto a loader bucket be such that the stresses which develop during use of the hitch with bale moving tines can be withstood by the bucket and the mounting assembly. A disadvantage of the prior art tine-type bale movers is the fact that a cylindrical bale is supported and maintained in position on the tool solely by the tines themselves. While the bale is being moved from one place to another using the tines, the bucket of the farm tractor is in a raised and inclined position which is above the operator. In the event that the bale should become free from the tines, there is a distinct chance that the bale will roll backward onto the lift arms of the tractor and subsequently onto the operator. No bale mover known in the prior art includes structure to preclude such an occurrence.
The present invention is directed to a plug-in bale mover which is adapted to be mounted on the bucket of a front loader or on the rear lift arms of such a loader. The bale mover includes a hitch which may be permanently attached by bolts to the top wall of the bucket. The hitch includes sockets which receive the mounting stubs of an assembly of tines. The penetration of the stubs into the sockets of the hitch is limited by plates located on the rear of the sockets. The tine assembly includes two or in the alternative three tines which are ganged together in a planar array. Above this planar array is a safety bar. The safety bar is provided with a blunt end so that the bar is prevented from impaling a cylindrical bale which is being moved by the tines. The safety bar acts as a stop to prevent the backward rolling of a cylindrical hay bale should it become free from the tines while the bale is being transported. Also disclosed is a hitch and tine assembly which mounts on the rear of a farm tractor. An L-shaped mounting frame is easily attached to the lift arms on the tractor, and the frame includes the hitch which receives a removable array of tines. A safety bar is included with the tine assembly to prevent the bale which is being transported from coming free of the tines and rolling onto an operator.